Heart of Fire
by Lucky-Racer
Summary: DragoxJade. There is a fine line between love and hate, but when Drago and Jade finally realize their love, could they be torn apart by the very rules of time, and Fate's whims?
1. A Meeting

**Heart of Fire**

By LuckyRacer

**Genre**: Action/Adventure/Romance

**Rating**: PG-13

**Disclaimer**: Plain and clear, you can sort of tell that I don't own Drago(sob), Shendu, Jade, Jackie, Uncle, Captain Black, or any other characters/settings/plots related to the show Jackie Chan Adventures.

**Chapter One**

Drago sighed as he placed his hands onto his father's smooth statue; concentrating hard on the spell he had just learned..., a complicated spell. It had been easy to nab from Uncle's shop. Jackie had left Captain Black in charge again, and he had accidentally turned himself into a toad...

_Ahh, Drago. It is nice to see you again, _Drago heard the voice of his father call from the stone casing.Don't get him wrong...Drago loved his father. Even for a Dragon Demon, he had a heart somewhere. But that wasn't the reason he was doing this. His father, Shendu, was perhaps one of the greatest and most well-known Demons of all time. Drago had always looked up to him; picking up a knack for the dark arts. By the time the young dragon was fifteen years of age (young even for a dragon demon,) he was possibly the most dangerous being in the spirit realm, second only to Shendu. His father was not well liked in the spirit world; luckily, he had the power to transport back and forth through the mortal and spirit realms. He had left a newly born Drago at home with his mother, and strayed into the mortal realm for a few years. But alas, his nemesis Jackie Chan- a mere mortal- defeated him, putting him into a stone statue. When Drago heard the news, he was devastated. He vowed to get Chan back at all costs. That was partially why he was going to great lengths to start what he was doing now- resurrecting his father.

"Hello, father," Drago replied.

Shendu sounded immensely proud, in only the way a father could be._ You are quite early, my son. I would have not expected you to complete such dark magic while you're barely nearing a few decades..._

"Thank you, father. You will not be fully resurrected until I fully complete this spell, but you will be able to remain in this temporary state. You can talk to me, but do not have your body back yet."

_I understand. It is already more than expected of you, so do not worry. By the way, how is your mother holding up? _

Drago thought of his mother. She seemed to be doing all right. She, too, had been enraged at the Chans, but trusted Drago would do well on his conquest for revenge; she had opted to stay in the spirit realm when her son asked to take her along to the mortal one. "Fine," he answered.

_Very good, very good. I'm sure she'll be pleased to know I'm coming home soon, _Shendu replied._ I think those three humans are still loyal to me... shall you check? I think you know who I'm referring to. If you ever need help, summon them._

Drago thought back to his father's old henchmen. Ratso, Finn, and Chow. What loonies they were. They couldn't do _anything_ right. But he just bit his tongue. "Yes, father. Well, I'm going to ask them for help… you might want to speak with them. Goodbye." Drago walked out of the cemetery and headed towards the side of town where the enforcers lived. It was payback time for the Chans.

**A/N:** This is my first ever Jackie Chan Adventures story, so I'd appreciate as much advice/constructive criticism/suggestions as possible! I'm pleased as to how this story going thus far. It should be running quite smoothly after the next few chapters, I'm sorry this one was so **very, _very_** short but It seems I'm out of time to type for tonight, and I wanted to get this down so I can work on the next chapter immediately! Until next time.


	2. The Encounter

Heart of Fire 

By Lucky-Racer

Chapter Two 

"Owww.." Drago hissed as one of his knuckles split on the crystal knocker (obviously stolen). He had been standing outside for a **very** long time, rapping on the door to his father's so called loyalists' pathetic hideout. It was barely concealed at all, in the most run down place in town. He scowled, scorching the door with another breath and kicking aside the ash. And there he was.

"ZZZZzzz…" Chow snored; drool dripping down onto his chin. Drago wrinkled his nose in distaste, -humans were SO disgusting- and stepped inside. The small man with jet-black hair was sprawled out onto a worn chair, and a wicker footrest that was coming apart. Drago looked around; the house was in bad shape, with pipes leaking, wallpaper peeling, and carpets coming up. One of the windowpanes was cracked, and the support had splintered. So, these were the loonies that helped his dad? Drago laughed to himself. No wonder all of his plans had failed to a human. Chow still hadn't woken up, even as his front door was being burned down!

"Wha.. What?" The man asked, blinking sleep from his eyes and wiping his mouth. "What's going on..?" He straightened his abnormally large orange sunglasses. A/n: I think that's the weirdest sentence I've ever written O.o

The Dragon Demon narrowed his eyes. "What do you think?"

Chow looked around, finally noticing the strange creature. "Whoa, dude, am I getting robbed?" He asked. "So THIS is what it feels like, man. Whoa, you're not, like, human! You're one of those demon dudes, right?"

Drago laughed inwardly, but you couldn't tell by the sour expression on his face. I guess he always came off that way to people. "Yeah… I'm Shendu's son, a Dragon Demon. Where are those other two freaks that he told me about?"

The human shakily pointed a finger to another room, where Ratso and Chow were watching football on their pathetic little television. "In there."

Turning smoothly and stalking to the door, the Dragon knocked firmly with his non-injured hand. There was no answer. "Open this door, dangit!" He yelled, kicking it off of its hinges.

"WOHOO!" Finn yelled at the top of his lungs. He jumped on a shabby, maroon armchair, letting it fall forward. The human took no mind, and sprinted around the room, fiery red hair a blur. "You owe me SEVENTY BUCKS, man!" He grinned evilly at his partner.

"Aww…" Ratso sighed. His enthusiasm was far less than Finn's. "Damn those Cardinals. They never win." He tore out some of the stuffing from the beat-up sofa he was sitting on and threw it at the small T.V. set. The cotton fluff, however, was so light that it floated gently down and landed on his worn shoes.

Drago had no idea what was happening, of course, but imagined that the big human with the triangular face and black hair called 'Ratso' had just lost some serious cash. The other fiery, skinny redhead with a snazzy white suit and purple shirt on was still dancing. They both were oblivious to the demon standing in their midst.

"Uh.. hello?" Drago asked, raising his voice a little. He didn't like not being the center of attention, especially when he was a little lost.

Finn froze in midair, and crashed into the closet. It was in such poor shape, it popped right off of its hinges. "Crap!" He said, rubbing his head where the impact had been. Ratso turned around in his chair.

"Shendu?" He asked, puzzled.

"No way!" Finn exclaimed. "It's _little_ Shendu, duh!"

Drago's temper flared. He was **not **Shendu; he would only be kept alive long enough to make Drago number one. "NO, I am NOT Shendu. I am his son!"

"No **_way_**," gawked Ratso, Finn, and Chow- who had come in to see what all the commotion was about.

"Yes, I am, and you three need to help me resurrect him." Drago stated simply. He had that menacing 'or-else' glare in his eyes, but the three humans obviously either didn't see it, or ignored it. The next thing Drago knew, the three were asking for things left and right.

"But, what do we get?"

"Money?"

"Talismans?"

"Gold?"

"Jewe-"

"Ok, STOP it!" shouted Drago; he wasn't having any of this. "You!" He pointed at Finn, "Tell me the thing that you think the three of you want most, if you'll work for me."

"Well…" the man trailed off, scratching his chin. "I know! All the twelve talismans, so we can rob Banks, Fort Knox, etcetera, etcetera." The others nodded in agreement.

The Dragon Demon glared at the three humans. "Are you sure that nothing else will do?"

"Yeah," agreed Chow. "Nothing."

In a rage, Drago singed part of the matted carpet, stained with food, juice, and other drinks. "Section 13 is **very **hard to break into and get back out with something valuable, you know. But I managed to escape them once, so I should be able to do it again. I might need some help, so I grant the three of you some my abilities." He reached within his power and drew out the correct spell.

Ratso, Finn, and Chow all gasped in delight as they inherited the Demon's trademark attributes: Ratso – Supernatural Dragon strength, Finn – The ability to breathe fire, and Chow – Amazing Dragon speed.

"Yeahh!" Finn said, scorching a corner of Ratso's suite.

"Hey, watch it!" Ratso yelled, picking Finn up and twirling him around in the air, to have some fun.

"Put me down!" screamed Finn in protest.

"Yeah, dude, that's SO unfair," added Chow, darting around the two with his speed in circles, just a blur,

Drago rolled his eyes at the three. "Come on, guys; let's go to Section 13."

They immediately stopped bickering, and an audible "thud" could be heard along with: "Yeah, Let's!"

Malice, determination, and a desire for revenge shone in the Dragon Demon's eyes as he ran from the shack with the three. It was gettinginto the eveningalready, the sun drooped behind a darkening horizon. 'Perfect timing,' Drago thought. The quartet was but a silhouette as Drago summoned many Shadowkhan to help him. They were black-clad warriors, endless in number. Fierce in battle, they emerge only from the shadows and look somewhat like ninjas. As the posse made their way towards the secret headquarters, the Shadowknan following behind on rooftops and wires, they were but thieves in the night.

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A/N: So? Do you like it so far?? . It took me a while to write this.. lol!

Prettypleasedrop me a review, to tell me what you think :)  
Thanks to everyone who has so far! I plan to put up the next chapter soon!

Lucky


	3. Captain Jade

Heart of Fire, Chapter Three – Captain Jade

By Lucky Racer

Sitting in her large and perfectly square cubicle at the headquarters of section 13, Jade stared wistfully at the bottom of her coffee cup, wishing desperately that it would refill itself. "A long, bad, boring morning" wouldn't even come close to describing the day that she was having; which included her first cup of coffee being spilled all over her lap. I won't go into detail of the other things that went wrong. Jade's co-workers seemed to understand that she was in a bad mood, steering clear of her at all costs, especially when she blew up at Thomas for "humming too loud while walking by my office", as Jade put it.

Jade would never admit it even to herself, but perhaps a certain Dragon Demon had caused part of her bad mood. Drago had been particularly sly as of recent. He seemed to always be able to avoid the Section 13 slammer, even though Jade had been _so _close last time. So close, in fact, that she had resolved that next time she saw him, Jade would smack him upside his thick head and give him a taste of a maximum security cell that had been calling his name for more than ten years.

A soft 'clink' snapped Jade back to the present, it was the sound of her door being opened. Immediately she soured – who did that person think they were, busting in on her?

She saw a mop of black hair poke through the door, and then a head. It was Marcos, her friend from another division of Section 13. She paused to study him… he looked eager and excited… he must have good news.

Marcos walked fully into her office and smiled at Jade. "I have big news."

Jade cocked an eyebrow at him. "Usually, people don't intrude on me while I'm working, so, yes, I hoped you'd have something important to say…"

He grinned, showing off perfectly white teeth. "Always the impatient one, weren't you, Jade?"

She scowled – everyone said that to her.

Marcos seemed to notice her bad mood, and continued, "Captain Black has stepped down from his position at Section 13. Jackie and Uncle are both too old to take his place, so he names you the new Captain. I'm sure you must be very excited, of course; but _do_ try to remember that it's a big responsibility. You have different priorities than Mr. Black, but I think you'll do fine anyway."

Jade's eyed widened as she took in this information. It brightened up her horrible day instantly. Now, catching Drago didn't look too far off. Jade was so happy that she got up out of her chair and kissed Marcos on the cheek, beaming.

"A kiss from Jade Chan? Are you cracking, new Captain?" Marcos asked, surprised and happy at the same time.

"Far from it," She replied enthusiastically.

Not much more then a millisecond later, a red alert communication box popped up on her computer screen. Gasping, Marcos and Jade ran over to her desk check it. It was Mr. Black, wearing his usual dark suit and red shirt. His weathered, wrinkly face had deep worry etches on them, which made him look even older than he was, if that was possible.

"Captain Jade… err... Chan? Which would you prefer?" He asked her.

"Jade is fine," the new Captain answered proudly.

"Anyway, we have a red alert. A party of four is closing in on Section 13, and moving fast. They're believed to have the shadowkhan with them," He replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Sound familiar?"

Her eyes hardened."Drago,"Jadesaid, her breath catching.

**

* * *

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**A/n**: I know, not very long, but expect more soon! I'm starting to type the next chapter right away :D Please R&R this story right now, if you've read it. It doesn't take that much time or thought, but gives me improvements and great suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Kudos to all my lovely R&Rers :)

Until next time,  
Lucky


	4. Breaking and Entering

Heart of Fire, Chapter Four

By Lucky-Racer

Getting in to Section 13 was the least of Drago's worries. He could count off at least four different ways to get into the headquarters, each one having a minimal chance of being seen. No… it was getting _out_ that he was concerned about.

Hell, Jade could be watching him now on camera for all he knew. Drago didn't like thinking about the human in any other way then an enemy… even if she _was_ a very pretty human. The fact still remained that she was a _Chan_. The family had foiled his plans on more than one occasion, much to his annoyance.

But each new encounter with her, she seemed even more determined to lock the dragon demon up for good. Drago prayed that this time would be the last of his going to Section 13. The place had probably already updated their security since his last escape.

"Yes! We're almost there," Ratso said excitedly, looking at a telephone booth in the distance. It wasn't just any telephone booth, either. If you dialed a certain number, it would take you straight to the regular entrance to Section 13. Logically, this was **not** the way the party was going to go in. What, and risk being seen by someone?

The dragon noticed where Ratso was looking and shook his head. "We're not using that way… if we can help it," Drago instructed the three humans.

"But why?" Finn protested.

The demon rolled his eyes. "Don't you guys ever think about _any_thing? If we enter by the phone booth, it's like saying, 'Hey, over here, come arrest me!' Someone's bound to see us, don't you think?"

The Enforcers' eyes widened as they saw their plan in a whole new light. "Hey, you're right!" Chow proclaimed.

Drago sighed and almost smacked his hand to his forehead mockingly, but stopped. If he wanted these people to respect him and do as he asked, mocking them was probably a bad idea.

"Uh, so… how DO we get in?" Finn wondered.

"Through the air vents, of course," Drago replied smugly. If there was something that all high security places did alike, it was that they kept their air vents unguarded, or not highly guarded at all. As it was, most of the air vents were too small for a demon and his colleagues to fit through, but there was always hope.

The humans and dragon made their way around to the side of the brick building, checking for the grate that led to the air vent system. The building either didn't have one, or it was disguised. Drago guessed the latter, and, as he ran his hands along the wall, he saw that he was right. Two tiny bumps proved to be actually a hinge for the grate, which was painted to match the brick around it exactly. Even though the entrance to the venting system was bolted quite firmly shut, Drago opened it with ease.

Aiming a stream of fire down into the vent – not enough to burn it, but enough for it to be illuminated – the demon confirmed that it was wide enough for the party to fit through, if they went single file, of course.

"Ok… I'll go down first," Drago said to the humans, "and then I'll call the all clear when nobody's looking. And _do_ try to be quiet… we want to have the element of surprise, right?" He gave them a wink and slid down the chute, being extra careful not to make much noise, which was saying a lot because it was an almost vertical drop.

When Drago finally reached the bottom, he had no idea how far he'd fallen. It must have been really far, though, because when he reached the bottom of the chute – another grate – he busted right through it. The dragon winced, not only for the pain in his feet, but because of the loud, merciless sound echoing currently through the… where was he exactly?

Looking around, the demon realized that he must be in a closet of cleaning supplies of some kind, a _big _closet. Mops and buckets were hanging on pegs near the door, and every kind of soap, stain remover, cleaning solution and detergent imaginable lined the shelves. Perfect! Since he landed here, no one would hear a thing, and they might not even suspect a robbery either.

"Ratso, Finn, Chow! You can come down now," Drago yelled up the chute.

A few minutes, several mutters of 'Ow!' and some soft curses later, the three Enforcers were sitting in a heap on the closet floor. "Come on, now, and move quickly," Drago commanded.

"How do we know which way to go?" Ratso asked.

"It'll be alright… I know the basic floor plan of Section 13 by memory," Drago replied.

Without another word, he quietly peeked around the edge of the door. It seemed a perfect time to be at the headquarters, because the guards appeared to be asleep at their posts. "Now," Drago whispered, "I want Chow to go and steal the access card to get into the talisman vault." After getting a description of what it looked like, and which security guard had the access card, the man was off.

It wasn't long before Chow came back, amazingly fast, as a matter of fact. He hadn't even broken a sweat. "Here you go," he said smugly, handing it over.

A few minutes later, the party found themselves in front of the talisman vault. Drago swiped the access card, and they all went into another room.

All twelve talismans shone in their glory, that is, behind a thick dome of bulletproof plexiglass. Drago sighed and burnt a neat circle through the wall with one breath – humans placed far too much faith in their own security.

"Well, there you go," Drago said, "help yourselves. Get what you want and be back outside in the hallway in less than five minutes.

Looks of joy crossed the Enforcer's faces as they entered the dome; they looked like children in a candy store. The three humans scurried around, gathering all the talismans they could get their hands on.

Nearing five minutes later, the party was finally all set and ready to go. "Alright, everyone, let's move out!" Drago commanded. "We don't want to get cau-"

"Are you _really _sure you want to finish that sentence?" an ice-cold voice of fury cut him off.

Drago nearly jumped out of his skin. How had someone known they were at Section 13? He whirled around and came face to face with none other than Jade Chan.

**A/n**: Well, there you have it! Chapter 4. I know it's a _tad _(coughhack) on the short side… (lol) but I'll be updating soon :)

This chapter is dedicated to a certain reviewer who inspired me to go and write this… I believe the exact words were "hurry and update NOW" Well, I did hehe. :D

Thanks to all my reviewers! Dragolover, hello! I'm glad you're back nn Hmm, I don't know why the enforcers aren't all old and wrinkly, too… Um… what can I say? Maybe Tarakudo gave them eternal life or something… lol!

Has anyone seen the newest episode of JCA? They took away Drago's fire power! Hey! Now, that's no fair… :P He's still going to have it in this story.

Well, I'm off to write some more on CoM… I'll let you know in the News/Updates section of my profile when the next expected update time for this story is.

Until next time!


	5. Of Broken Bones

**A/n:** Yay! An update! That being said, I'll let you read the story.. :D

Heart of Fire – Chapter Five

Drago quickly assessed the situation. Jade was standing in the way of the only exit – that is unless the dragon and his colleagues were and able to get back to the cleaning supplies room and climb up one hundred feet of air vent, which they weren't. He looked at Jade again, realizing that she was holding a gun in both hands. It was pointed at him, and he could see the bullet in the barrel. Trying not to panic, Drago hoped that she wouldn't be trigger-happy. Dragon demon he may be, but he could still feel pain.

"The jig is up, Drago. Now, kindly tell the gecko gang to put the talismans back. Now," Jade ordered, without a trace of humor. She was dead serious. He could never remember seeing her like this when she was younger.

"Now, Jade. Don't go doing anything stupid," Drago replied, hoping that it would distract her.

"What? How could I do anythi-" Jade started, her look of fury replaced by a puzzled one. She was definitely distracted.

Drago knew what he had to do. Feinting left, just in case she could follow him, the dragon snaked his arm around to the right, grabbing hold of the barrel of the gun and twisting. It bended under his powerful grip like putty. To some extent, it was now a harmless piece of metal.

Now, the only problem was Jade herself. No doubt that she wouldn't just let him out with even one talisman. That is, if she had a choice. The demon knew that he didn't have much time, as reinforcements were probably on the way. He didn't like what he was going to do, especially if it meant there being a risk of hurting Jade, but he was running out of options fast.

"Sorry," he whispered to the human so that only she could hear. Then, jumping up, he kicked her a hair's length away from her collarbone. She flew fast and hard, slamming through the door, and hit the brick wall of the hallway behind it. Drago winced as he heard the sickening sound of bone cracking.

To everyone else in the room, it looked like for one instant Jade had the upper hand, and the next, she was unconscious. Hey, they don't call it dragon speed for nothing. Needless to say, Ratso, Finn, and Chow were astounded.

"Nice one!" Finn said.

"…yeah," Drago replied half-heartedly. "Now, let's get out of here!"

Miraculously, the demon and humans made it out of Section 13 alive, without mishap, and without a scratch, also possessing all twelve talismans. It was one for the history books.

But instead of feeling proud, Drago couldn't help feeling guilty, thrashing a human around like that. A female human. An _attractive_ female human.

Agh! He scolded himself. You're doing it again! Stop it, _stop_ it! She is a _Chan_. Remember what they did to you? They stopped you from taking over the world! It would have all been yours!

Disrupted from his thoughts, the dragon demon looked up just in time to see an old car getting closer and closer… _Wham! _Startled, he crashed into it. Hey, I guess that's what you get when your hideout's a junkyard.

"Whoa… are you ok?" Ratso asked, while Chow helped his employer up.

"I… think so…" Drago answered distractedly.

"Well, we've got all the talismans now. What do we have to do?" Finn questioned.

Dusting himself off, the dragon remembered the book of spells from Uncle's shop. Sighing, he flipped it open to the resurrection spell…

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the open window of the hospital room, the beams of light making the inhabitant blink a few times. She tried to sit up, but soon discovered that the nerves right below her neck were sending almost nauseating amounts of pain to her head. Fighting to remain conscious, Jade laid back down on her pillows, trying to shake the fog from her head and remember what happened.

It came back to her all at once, Black promoting her to Captain, Drago breaking in to Section 13, thinking she could handle him and his idiot followers on her own… and then getting her collarbone broken.

How could I have been so _stupid_? She asked herself. Did all these years cause me to forget that he's a demon?

But… Jade's eyes widened as she remembered this bit… what was that he had whispered to her, right before kicking her? "Sorry." Sorry! What was he playing at? Pretending like he cared, so that she wouldn't know what to expect next time?

Or… did it… did he _mean_ it? Jade shook her head vigorously, resulting in fresh waves of pain from her collarbone working their way up to their head.

All thoughts of the dragon were pushed from Jade's mind as two people entered the room, Jackie and Cap… Mr. Black.

"Jade!" Jackie cried, trying to rush over to hug her, but failed due to Black's hand on his arm.

"Don't forget, Jackie, that she's hurt," Black reminded.

Nodding, the archaeologist went over to sit at the foot of his niece's bed. Jade noticed a few strands of white in his jet-black hair.

"I _told_ you to wait for reinforcements," Jackie scolded.

Smiling weakly, the young Captain shook her head sadly, wincing at the pain. She made a mental note not to move her neck at all. "I'm sorry, Jackie. But you've got to understand. Drago has been evading the sentence that he's doomed to for as long as I can remember. Wouldn't _you_ want to catch him?"

Sighing, Jackie was inclined to agree. He _had_ wanted to catch Drago. But… going after him alone was simply not logical. Jade would learn, one day. Everyone did.

* * *

Back at the junkyard, Drago paled. One of the ingredients for the spell… it was… tricky to get. It was the essence of your worst enemy. Jackie Chan, of course, was the answer to this obvious, unasked question. But, all of the Chan family was usually at Section 13. _Usually._

"Hey, I have an idea," Chow said, reading over the demon's shoulder. "Most likely Jade's in the hospital, after a kick like that, and won't be able to fight back if we… cut off some of her hair, say."

Drago nodded mutely. He didn't know _what_ he would do if he saw Jade all weak and helpless, and he didn't want to find out. "You three, you know what to do. I'll stay here and… work on the spell. Oh, and, be careful not to hurt… erm… just… be careful with her, ok? She might have something broken."

Nodding, the Enforcers waited until they were out of the junkyard to exchange puzzled glances. Caring about the well being of someone else? Was there something wrong with Drago? He was definitely not the cold, heartless demon they had worked for all those years ago. Was he?

**A/N**: Yay! Sorry this chapter took so long to get posted . It was fun to write! Ooh, Drago's falling for Jaaadee -sings- And she doesn't know _what_ to think.

I'm visiting my aunt and uncle this weekend, so I'm not updating then… hmm. So, expect an update sometime next week. Mm-kay:D

Oh, and, to everyone who's expecting a review for their story from me, or who emails me, I'm checking my email tomorrow! Yay! XD


	6. A nurse named Simone

A/n: I know, I know, it's late. (Don't throw anything at me, please :P) But it's up!

Heart of Fire - Chapter 6 

"So, is everybody clear about what we're doing? Even with Drago acting as strange as he is, I don't think it's a wise idea to make him angry…" Finn trailed off pointedly.

"Yeah, we know what to do," Chow said, smiling wickedly in the dim half-light of the hallway.

"They won't even know what hit 'em," Ratso agreed, grinning.

Finn gave his comrades a wink before slithering off downstairs, Ratso and Chow heading for the opposite direction.

* * *

Nurse Simone was just about to take her lunch break after a long, grueling morning. One of the patients had an odd wound that wasn't taking to stitches very well. The patient refused to tell what had caused it. Another's seemed to bleed profusely no matter what kind of bandaging was used on it. And one of her youngest patients had bronchitis that simply refused to go away, no matter what the young nurse prescribed for it. On top of all that, someone was trying to sue the hospital after an overnight treatment in Simone's ward. Or course, the head doctor blamed it on her.

"That's right. I've got to report to Dr. Thind about the progress of that one girl..." Simone said to herself. She let her hand hover over her office phone before deciding against it. It was her lunch break, for heaven's sake. She could very well call Dr. Thind after her thirty-five minutes of peace.

She was just thinking this when the phone rang. Looking at the little window that displayed caller ID, Simone scowled. It read '402'. Dr Thind's room.

"What?" She asked into the receiver, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, and failing.

"Listen, Simone, I know you've had a hard morning, but I need you to take over for Blakely at the security booth," Thind answered. "I don't know where she went, but she's not responding to any of my calls. Check it out for me, will ya? Stay there until her usual post would end, and if you see her, tell her to report to me immediately and not to slack off anymore!"

Simone could tell that it was an order. "Will do," she replied, hanging up before the doctor could reply. She walked out of her office, heading downstairs to wing C, where the security room was supposed to be located. Simone couldn't be sure… she didn't trust the maps in the hospital. They were almost fifteen years old, and several renovations of the hospital had happened since the maps had been published. She didn't get why Thind couldn't just get some new ones made.

Thinking of Thind, Simone's train of thought was redirected. The nurse knew that it was odd for Blakely to leave her post in the middle of the day. She was risking being fired. That was unlike her. Perhaps that was what had the head doctor so worried, but then again, maybe he was just trying to get under Simone's skin. That was always a possibility.

Realizing that she would have to spend the duration of her lunch in a cramped room waiting for Blakely to come back, Simone scowled. The nurse then remembered that she didn't have a clue what security people did. "I guess I'll just keep an eye on the cameras…" She absently thought out loud.

Halting in front of the door, Simone swiped her access card. "Confirmed," the computer beeped at her.

She twisted the knob and pushed, expecting to see a small, dark room with only one chair facing a bunch of screens. But she was wrong.

Since most of the rooms of the hospital were devoted to patent's rooms and offices for the workers, there was hardly space for anything else. So, all of the extra junk was put into this room. Simone saw boxes and boxes of rubber gloves, masks, surgery tools, spare scrubs, and lots of cleaning and disinfectant supplies crammed into one corner. There were even some extra computers in another. The main power generator and backup were set against one wall. And on top of all that, it was well lit.

"Well, this place is certainly not my idea of a 'security room'," Simone said to herself after a few minutes of staring.

She plopped down in a cushy armchair facing a live feed of all the cameras throughout the hospital, figuring this was probably what Blakely did most of the day. What a boring job, Simone thought to herself. Interrupted by her growling stomach, she remembered it was her lunchtime.

Washing her hands thoroughly up to her elbows in a nearby sink, the nurse was just removing her sandwich from a plastic baggie when she heard something. It sounded… raspy. Like sandpaper rubbing over concrete. But as soon as she identified it, it stopped. So suddenly, that she thought she might have imagined it.

"Odd…," She said to herself, turning around. She wasn't expecting a reply.

"If you think _that's_ odd, check this out!" A male voice declared.

Knitting her eyebrows together, the nurse got out of her chair, just in time to see the electricity generator short circuit.

"Nighty night," the said voice cut through the air, which seemed to grow thicker by the second with darkness. Simone was willing to bet that it would be lighter if she closed her eyelids.

Suddenly, a… fireball? No, it couldn't be… but that's exactly what it looked like, Simone decided. If it really _was_, the nurse was in trouble. She nearly bent in two to get out of the way, feeling the air warm as the… substance crossed right over her nose.

"Darn it," The person fumed, "Why can't you guys just play along? It'd be _oh_ so much easier."

"..Huh?" The nurse was flabbergasted. "Blakely, if this is a joke, it's a really poor one.."

"Lady, this is no joke."

The next thing Simone knew, something heavy and hard collided with her head. She only had a few seconds to spare, temples screaming, before she passed out.

* * *

**Simone** – say: sum-OWN

A/n: A thing about the pronouncing thing, since I believe that it's the first time I've included one, the capitalized syllable is stressed. The syllables are separated by hyphens.

Wow… the Enforcers actually had an idea! -legasp- Lol!

-frowns- I know, It's short, and I know its been a while since my last update, but I'll make it up to you.. hehe! –passes out cookies– and if you don't like cookies… have a doughnut! XD

Yeahyeah, this didn't have and Jade or Drago in it. Boo hoo. :P I'll get to them soon enough! Also, I really will be quicker with my next update. –grins–

XD


	7. A New Feeling

**A/n:**  
What an amazing journey this has been.

I last updated September 20th, 2005. In two months, it will be 6 years later.

Crazy, right? I know! What caused me to want to update again? I'll answer that after the chapter. Without further ado, I give you Heart of Fire, CHAPTER SEVENNNN~! :3

* * *

Jade watched the lights, monitors, all electronics around her, flicker and die.

She whipped her head around in panic.

_What? _This was a hospital, for God's sake. The power didn't just go out. People would_ die_! The thought made her feel an acute sense of unease, worry creeping in her heart. She sat up, solely using the power of her abs. When she accidentally twinged her collarbone, she would see white spots, but she got to her door by the flickering emergency light in the hallway without many major mishaps.

At least her legs were okay! She thought with dark humor. She could kick the intruder to death! For, with her luck the past few days, she didn't think this outage was natural. It screamed Demon to her.

Slumping against the wall after walking around for a bit, to no good, most of the other patients were not in her wing. The ones that were, being either scared, asleep, or a combination of both, were not coming out of their rooms. _That's probably a good thing,_ she thought.

She didn't even have five breaths from that thought before he was upon her.

* * *

Ratso, Finn, and Chow closed in on the hospital.

"You know the plan, right?" Finn asked his companions, accidentally breathing a bit of fire on the last word.

"Ahh!" Chow exclaimed, using his newfound speed to dodge it and get back into place. "Watch it!"

"Sorry," Finn frowned.

"Anyway, yeah, we do!" Ratso answered. "Just don't let him dissuade us once he knows what's up."

"Got it," the other two replied in unison.

* * *

"Jade..." Drago breathed, frowning. He was about a foot away from her, and, for her liking, too close! She tried to back up, but her back slammed into the wall with her suddenness. She cried out in pain as her collarbone jolted.

She twitched as her nerves spasmed. Then she pitched forward.

Quick as a flash, Drago caught her, keeping her just far enough away from his body so her collar wouldn't touch him. She _felt_ him before she really knew what had happened, her sixth sense tingling. She smelled a faint hint of ash mixed with a more musky, masculine scent and realized she had gotten a noseful of Drago. He had practically materialized with his urgency to close the distance and keep her from falling.

"Wha-" when her consciousness finally registered what had happened, she tried to jerk out of his arms, just hurting herself even further. "Get off of me!" She screamed, twisting to look at his face. "What are you doing?"

Something in her voice set the demon's eyes, which had looked like pools of chocolate, into frozen brown stones. "Calm down," he said, cool and calculating. "You can't be harmed. I'm merely ensuring that."

Her face turned into an unbelieving, sarcastic mask. "Since when, Drago? We've had enough spats in the past where you never went easy on me," she spat, glaring at him. True enough, both of them had gotten a fair amount of injuries from the other.

He tried a different tack. "Jade, oh Jade," he grinned, flashing his ivory teeth. His eyes warmed up to liquid again. "Why do you never believe me? Have I ever really lied to you?"

She was shocked into silence.

Now that she thought about it, he hadn't ever lied to her. He had actually been disgustingly _honest_ about all of his intentions. Which, when she thought about it, weren't that bad, from his point of view. He just wanted to make his parents proud, uphold his heritage, and do "noble" things. However, his idea of noble was a far cry from what she would ever want for her family, her friends, her world.

"No."

"Then, please. I'm taking you hostage. You are obviously in no position to disagree." He said, not unkindly.

She frowned. Being a hostage would strip her of every ounce of pride that she had, as a female agent, the Captain of Section 13, someone skilled in martial arts, and a Chan. But moving her arms was excruciating. Even she realized that it would be nigh impossible stopping anyone from taking her anywhere, much less a Demon Prince.

Yet she still forced herself into as much of a fighting stance as she could manage.

Drago sighed, rubbing circles into his temples with the tips of his scaly fingers. "Always the hard way, Miss Jade. Always the hard way, with you."

He darted up to her and pressed his fingers onto her broken bone.

She screamed, and involuntary tears welled up in her eyes. However, her expression was pure rage.

Before she could protest anymore, he slung her up onto his back and darted away. However, he couldn't resist brushing his fingertips just under her jawline and whispering "I'm sorry, Jade," before sprinting down the hallway with her, being careful not to jostle her.

* * *

Drago hoped that Jade was out of it enough not to be able to later recall his apology, nor the shudder that ran through his body when he first put her on his shoulder. He could feel it, the stirrings of desire deep within the pit of his stomach. The feeling blazed white-hot for a moment, just before he put a lid on it and locked it away.

Panting, but not from the exertion of running, he glanced quickly at his captive. "What am I getting myself into?" He sighed to himself, looking just as quickly away from her.

_Dude, get a grip!_ He thought to himself, shaking his head all the way out of the hospital.

* * *

A/n: So, that was it :) The end of Chapter Seven! I truly hope it was worth the wait XD LOL! And, since it did take so insanely long, I apologize.

Basically I was inspired to write again after I heard that JCA was available on Netflix! I watched the amazing Beginning Of It All today, the J2 episode, and was really inspired. So I sat down and pounded this out. Since it's going up with minimal editing, there might be some issues, but I really wanted everyone to be able to read it as soon as possible. Please review :) And take care, until the next chapter!


	8. Revelation

**A/n: **Hello again :3 It didn't take me another 6 years to write this! XDDD YAY! LOL. Anyway, thanks for reading, and on to the story :)

* * *

Ratso, Finn and Chow raced through the hospital. They had just met up after completely shutting off the power, happy that they would finally be able to close in on Jade.

Finn spat as they ran down the empty hallway. He used a ball of flame to illuminate the dark corners, and sent another ball down faster than he could run. Chow ran with it, zooming back in moments. "She's not here," he said, frowning. "Jade's room is empty."

"Scales has definitely been feeling...sentimental to the girl as of late. You don't think he... 'rescued' her or something?" Ratso mused.

"From his own henchmen?" Chow was incredulous. "He's the one who gave us orders to...extract information... from her in the first place."

"But think about it," Finn mused. "He couldn't order us not to without making us really suspicious. And he's never really liked us. He needed us for the strength he gave us."

"What?" Ratso was dumbfounded. "If Drago gave us our powers, how could we be stronger than him?"

"I haven't quite figured it out yet," Finn replied. "But he's definitely getting weaker. I can feel it. The power has shifted. Drago is getting soft, too, with his newfound feelings for Jade. Who knows what he's planning?" He rubbed the rust-colored stubble on his chin. "Boys, I hate to say it, but we've always known that when they going gets tough, the tough gets going. It might be time to mutiny on Drago."

"Eh, I never liked him anyway," Ratso frowned. "He's mean!"

The three chuckled, and then, the mood darkened again.

"If we've been rejected, and double-crossed on top of that, then we are no friend of Drago's," Chow said, steel in his voice.

Finn nodded. "I know we've been enemies Chan clan for a long time. But it might be time to pay Jackie a visit."

* * *

Uncle was the most furious of the three, though Jackie and Tohru followed at a close second.

"Demon boy trying to seduce Jade?" Uncle yelled in his unmistakable voice.

"Bad day," Jackie sighed. Tohru shook his head in silent fury, ponytail wobbling. He had always looked after Jade as if she had been a younger sister, and they were as close as siblings. If anyone, Demon or Human, wanted to mess with her, then the had to go through _him_. But now Jade was missing, and injured on top of that. She wouldn't be able to fight back.

Though it was hard to see exactly what their intentions were, for they usually just had their own self-interest at heart, Ratso, Finn, and Chow had showed up on the Chans' doorstep, panting with their haste. They explained the story to the other three men, expressing not only concern for Jade, but for the world.

The three had been reluctant to let the other trio into Uncle's shop, but Tohru convinced them. If he could change, after all, why couldn't his old comrades-in-crime be reformed?

All of the men present knew what kind of breed the demons were, formidable with their crushingly ambitious malice. Perhaps the only trait that was more obvious than their bloodlust was their contempt for humanity, and seemingly utter lack of sentiment for the race.

The Enforcers really were worried. A truce between the demons and Section 13 could spell doom for all of the human criminals of the world. If that didn't happen, there was still the chance that the son of Shendu would truly convince Jade he loved her, and what happened then? The possibilities were endless, and too horrible to think of. Each situation they thought of was worse than the last. They also hated Drago, to boot.

Uncle was most worried about the fact that combined, Drago and Jade had the potential to master every magic. And since "magic must defeat magic!", they would be unstoppable. "Very bad pair if they were bad. But good? Even good magic is very strong..."

"And power corrupts," Chow finished. The rest nodded.

"But for now, we need a plan," Jackie commanded. Everyone put their heads together.

* * *

Jade woke to a scalp massage.

She felt weak, dizzy, hungry, and really needed to use the restroom. But _mmmmm_... it felt heavenly. The massage was now going lower into her hair, towards the nape of her neck. She sighed...

And sat straight up. Her eyes popped open. The hair on her whole body was erect. The fingers had been... _scaly_.

Eyebrows twitching in shock, she turned around and found herself face-to-face with Drago.

He was smirking.

"You're shocked, right?" His pointed canines were prominent. She realized from this distance that his eyes were very nice, a beautiful brown shot with chestnut. He looked away from her, into the distance. "I've often thought about this day... if it would ever come, and what I would say. And I still don't have anything brilliant worked out."

What was he trying to say? She realized that he was straddling her. Embarrassed, she scooted away from his crotch. In order to pivot herself up, she put her hand on his leg, and he encased her wrist with his fingers. Trapping her.

"Jade," he said with intensity. His eyes feverishly searched her own. "I love you."

* * *

Shendu was irritated.

He hadn't heard from Drago in almost three weeks. How long would it take to gather his old henchmen and steal the spell from one of the Chans? His impudent son! When he came back he would-

"Father," Drago greeted. He put his hands on either side of the cool statue, the most affection he'd been able to give his father for many years. "I have returned."

_Good!_ Shendu snapped. _I've been waiting for a while._

"What?" Drago was confused. "I told you about a month ago that I was going into a trance to meditate, for my training. I said it would be at least three weeks, maybe four."

Shendu didn't understand the miscommunication that was going on between him and his son, so he simply brushed it away and funneled his confusion into anger. He might have pieced together the situation if he really thought about it, but he chose not to. _Well, just don't mess it up. Find The Enforcers and get the secret from Jade, __any way you can._

Drago bowed his head, shamed and angered. "Of course, father," he replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, Drago was caressing Jade's wrist. She didn't know whether to yank it away or smack him or grab his arm back, so she settled for doing nothing.

Her large brown eyes looked like a doe's. He stared into them, entranced by this moment, soaking up the sweet suddenness.

"I thought over all these years that I had hated you, Drago..." Jade began.

"...but you realized that as we got to know each other, you fell madly in love with me?" He grinned.

Jade made a face. "Not quite, buster. But I have realized that though you were strong, arrogant, and annoying at times, you were also reliable, merciful, and adaptive. You changed your ways from how you used to be. When we first met when I was a kid, you really did try to kill me a few times. But now when we spar, you feel remorse for what you do! It's obvious something has changed."

"Yes, Jade," he sighed. "That's exactly my point. I've cheated time, and it's the reason we're all in this conundrum. I've gotten to know you, I've watched you grow up from a little girl into the woman you are today. A quite attractive woman, might I add," He smiled. "But anyway, I don't think this was supposed to happen. We've cheated somehow," He repeated.

"I can't help feeling that you're right," Jade frowned, a feeling of unease growing inside of her. A fire-breathing dragon demon, son of Shendu, powerful magic-user, falling for an equally powerful woman, well-versed in martial arts, magic, guns, and leader of Section 13? It wasn't quite right.

"Jade," he whispered, getting close to her again. "What do you think would've happened if I went back to the future with the future-Jade, after she helped you defeat me all those years ago?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know..."

"I'd be dead, or imprisoned still, with my soul crushed. We would never have met again."

The dark hair shifted as she turned her head again. "You mean... time is working against us to make sure we're never together?"

"Yes, Jade. But the stakes are much higher than that... If we don't end up together, then your world will fall to the Shadows. The Demons will rise again."

* * *

**A/n:** Cliffhanger!~! Bahahahah XD

Hmmmm, can you tell what's going on? :] Especially with the multiple Dragos... teeheehee, I'm so evil! LOL! Good luck is all I can say, I'm sure it'll all fall into place with this next chapter! :)

Also, I think I'm back to this site to stay. I fear I've stirred up the plot bunnies running around in my head again, and they're hungry. So to save my brain from being eaten, I'm at their mercy! XD Hahah okay, that was kinda lame, but really. Keep an eye out foe me :) And until next time, take care everyone!~!

-Lucky

PS- Please drop me a review while you're at it! Thanks and much love! XO


	9. The Truth

**A/n:** I'll be updating this story every Friday now :)

Just a warning, this chapter contains a scene that probably wouldn't be shown in a PG-13 movie, more likely an R. So, I'm upping the rating to M for mature teen. If it offends anyone, or you don't like "steamy" scenes, I completely understand – I don't like writing them as much. But, as this is partially a romance-themed story, I could hardly keep it out, especially after a bunch of ya wanted some Drago on Jade action. LOL. Anyway, if it bothers you I'll see you next time. If not, without further ado, here is Chapter Nine! ;)

* * *

"What?" shock made Jade's voice strained. She disentangled herself from the dragon demon, mostly just to keep her wits about her. She needed all of her sanity to cope with what he was saying, and his caressing of the inside of her wrist wasn't helping.

Drago released her, watching her turn around slowly and determinedly. She was the woman he loved - he should have guessed she would want to know everything, anything, about the situation. To come up with a plan, and win. To save the world. Even if that's what fate didn't have in mind. The set of her jaw, rigid posture, and determination shining in her eyes dared the world, demons, and Hell itself to try and take over. He sighed, rubbing his head. They just might have to go through hell before this was over.

"Yes, Jade," he frowned. "I know this because it happened already. Erm... in my past, but your future."

"What?" She repeated. "Can you start from the beginning?"

The son of Shendu rubbed his temples slowly, looking at the expectant woman sitting across from him. _Where to begin?_ "Before I went to the past, Shendu had a backup plan. I'd forgotten about it until now... but it's nearing the alignment of the bad chi stars, when the demons –even Shendu, trapped in his spirit realm– will be at their most powerful. That must have triggered my memory."

"Well, what was the plan?" Jade questioned. She seemed to be taking it well, so far.

"The plan was that if the immortal dragon teeth failed to bring him back, he would wait until the alignment of the bad chi stars. With his power on the spirit realm end, and mine in the mortal realm, we could open a portal to this one and let loose all the demon inhabitants, Shendu included; even those previously banished. It would be a complete takeover, an apocalypse of your world as you know it. The entire human race would either be killed or enslaved." He spoke passively, as if observing his memories through a lens. She sensed that he was trying to remain calm.

Jade frowned, seeing a major hole in the story. "Well, if that was the case, wouldn't an apocalypse have happened already? You demons have been trying to take over the human world for centuries."

He absentmindedly rubbed his upper arms with his hands while he talked. Jade wondered at the gesture, seeing how defensive it made him look. "Well, along with these specific stars aligning only every hundred years, no demon has been present on each end of the connecting gate, and ready, with the knowledge to use the spell. Also, even if all of those things would have happened before, I don't think any demon would have been ready to make the sacrifice necessary to open the gate."

She swallowed, the sound loud to her ears in the silence that followed. She didn't know if she wanted to know what the sacrifice was. "Drago.." she began, her voice a little breathier than she would've liked.

He nodded, knowing what she meant. "The reason no demon would do it before, even if they knew how, is because... whichever one is in the mortal realm... must give up their life. They will die expending the energy to guide the others to this world."

Jade felt the color leave her face. "Die?" She repeated. Then her face darkened with anger. "Drago, don't scare me like that!" She looked like she wanted to throttle him. "You're sitting right in front of me, and you just professed your undying love to me. Why would you choose to act against the humans now?"

Drago sighed again. How would he ever explain this in the right way? Time paradoxes were just _too _confusing. "Okay, so, Jade. Think back. Try to recall the first time that I ever met you. Do you remember? When you were a girl, and your older self came back in time. What did she say?"

The woman's eyebrows furrowed, not quite understanding where he was going with this, but trusting his judgement for the time being. "She said that–I mean, _I_ said that-" Jade corrected.

Shaking his head, Drago cut her off with a warning. "Just stick with saying 'she' and 'future-Jade'. We are in a very dangerous position, but I'll get to that later. For now, just think of you and her as two different people, because you are. Your time-lines diverged when she chose to return to the future and leave me in the past."

"That's right," Jade realized. "We really _are_ different people!" She gasped, her mind going blank. She suddenly felt unspeakably old and rubbed her face with both hands, sighing. When she had first met her older self, she had thought she was _awesome_. Her future self was her idol, and she had striven to become the amazing young lady that had helped the Chans destroy the dragon teeth all those years ago. She had also _known_ it would happen, because, the future is set in stone, right?

_...Wrong_. How could she have let herself forget that key thing? Obviously, she had helped change the future with her own two hands by helping to destroy the teeth. The fact that she was not the same person as her future-self slightly unhinged her. She felt as thought the glue that held her world together was becoming undone. _If I am not myself, than who am I? _

The demon saw all of this flit across Jade's face and frowned. "Jade," he said, not unkindly, but with steel in his voice. "Whatever you do, do not overthink this situation. You are who you are, and the unknown must not scare you so that you lose your confidence. They don't call it a paradox for no reason. It's why time-travel shouldn't exist. Now, think back..."

It clicked. Jade shifted a hair closer to him with her intensity. "Future-Jade didn't grow up with you in her life. But... _I did_. I remember now, the answer to your question. Future-Jade met you shortly after she took control of Section 13."

"Precisely," agreed Drago.

"I can't believe I never thought about this before," she mused, "but... there is another Drago in my time now. You existed while Future-Jade grew up, too. You just didn't know her yet. So... there is another Drago in this time, one who hasn't even _met_ me, and doesn't know that you exist."

"Yes, I did exist back then. That's the problem with all of this. Demons are forbidden from time-travel by our ancient laws – it's part of what we gave up to become so powerful originally, in addition to losing most of our sympathy and other 'soft' emotions. If my past self meets me in this time, then the rules of the universe will be broken. I don't know what will happen, but it would be bad. Earth-shattering, perhaps quite literally. I would most certainly die instantly, perhaps even others would be dragged along to my untimely fate. Don't you see, Jade?" His voice grew bitter, unhappy. "I don't belong in this time. I have far overstayed my welcome here. My love for you isn't the only reason I've been going easy on you as of late..."

Jade caught her breath. "You've been losing your power..." she covered her mouth with her hands involuntarily in her shock, expressive eyes the only feature that Drago could see. They were filled with horror as what he said sunk in. He felt a surge of affection for her, smiling at her. "What..." she was at a loss. She coughed, swallowed and tried again, the words coming out less thickly this time. "What will happen if you stay here?"

"I'm really not sure," he mused, looking away. "I could just fade away to nothing. I could survive as a shadow of my former self. Or, I could simply die."

"So... either way you die." Jade's whisper was almost too soft for him to hear.

They stared into each others' eyes, neither saying what they knew to be true. Drago would have to be returned to his own time. Something broke inside of Jade, a final gate that had restrained her emotions thus far. Part of her had thought that maybe he was bluffing, that he was trying to psyche her out in some way or manipulate her love of him to his advantage – but now the doubt was erased, replaced completely by a solid yearning. For, she realized, the love had always been there. Even when she was a child, she had had a horrible, forbidden crush on the eternally infuriating, hot-headed, arrogant, but still inexplicably attractive dragon demon.

Drago was still looking away when he glimpsed something in his peripheral vision. Jade was moving. His eyes snapped to her slim form as she agonizingly slowly, purposefully crawled towards him. His body filled with a sudden, pulsing heat. He couldn't quite believe it, and for all his playful banter and thinly-veiled flirting over the years, the situation was unnerving. He had mostly kept his feelings for her under iron lock and key, only succumbing to his lustful needs in his dreams. He had never deluded himself into thinking he could ever even approach her, much less have her reciprocate his feelings.

Not quite knowing what to do, especially having never courted a human, he sat, as still as a board – and just as stiff. She crept up to him, a playful light in her eyes, cheeks partially flushed. His eyes glued to her fit form, he felt his mouth start to salivate as he watched the flesh of her full breasts ripple lightly in time with her knees. "Drago..." Jade breathed slowly, cocking her head to the side. She pulled herself up from her knees, rising to his head-level. Tracing a finger seductively down his jaw, she tilted her own head back and surveyed him through half-lidded eyes, a wicked smirk on her face. Though he could tell she thought she was teasing him, he could see the want in her eyes as well.

His arms seemed to move of their own accord. Before he knew what he was doing, he had hungrily jerked her to himself, locking her soft body against his own. He licked her from the top of her shirt all the way up her neck, to the tip of her jaw, inhaling deeply, her scent a drug. She whimpered like a wounded animal when his tongue scratched her collarbone. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that her bone was still broken, but the notion was dwarfed by the raging thoughts her moan had produced, blood rushing to his extremities. His fingers, almost having minds of their own, moved down her smooth back and inserted into her clothes, tracing her panty lines, twitching with want.

Her eyes widened slightly as his scales rubbed back and forth on her sensitive areas and tickled her hairs simultaneously. She shifted a little and giggled. He shuddered, getting closer and closer to the opening of her vagina. With each stroke went a little further. Her eyes melted into liquid pools as he probed, gingerly at first, and then more strongly. He went deeper and deeper with each successive exploration. She turned to rubber in his grasp as he thrusted in and out with his fingers. She gasped and moaned, feeling the fire down under and throwing herself upon him with a passionate intensity, biting his lip and exploring his mouth with her tongue. The two tongues met as if they were long-lost friends, embracing and dancing in unison.

A particularly deep finger-thrust had Jade almost screaming mid-kiss. It was too much for Drago, he couldn't sit still anymore. He broke the kiss removed his fingers, licking them clean, his long tongue lapping with a painfully slow but teasingly erotic intensity. He didn't break eye contact during the entire display. They could both feel the heat radiating from each other. His eyes went hazy for a moment, the scent making him want to place his mouth on Jade where his fingers had been. The thought fueled him and he bodily picked Jade up, then pinned her to the ground. He cautiously worked his one of his hands inside of her shirt, while the other grabbed a fistful of her hair, hard enough to pull her head back. She inhaled sharply through her nose, brown eyes flying open as the hard scales of his fingers rasped against her sensitive flesh. His long nails left patterns in their wake. She cried out softly. Drago felt a tremor wrack his body as he reacted to her moan, predatory instincts combining with his lust to create a whole new need.

Savoring the feeling of her soft, fleshy, perky breasts, he grinned, a euphoric smile on his face. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

Jade rolled her eyes slightly but grinned back up at him, returning his enthusiastic smile. _Men and their breasts –_ "aaaaaaaaaahhh!" She cried out again as he pinched the soft skin of her nipple. The erotic cry sounded like it was being dragged out of her with a hook. It sent his skin sizzling and shifting, desire burning within him.

As they had moved together, she had felt his growing erection straining at her the whole time, the hardness undeniable. Drago had almost subconsciously snaked it around into different positions while they messed around, burning for satisfaction. She could feel the swollen tip probing her body stiffly, seemingly seeking for an entrance. She could sense under his happiness a bit of frustration, the need to go farther. Her mind was fried, a white haze of emotion. She had wanted Drago for _so_ long. She wanted more, she wanted to feel him inside of her, making her not just moan, but scream with pleasure. She wanted to see how much harder he could be, how much further they could go. She recklessly threw her legs open, inviting him in. They shot out to wrap around his torso.

Drago sensed the subtle change, her want, and need for them to be joined in the most intimate way possible. His paused their kissing to smile down at her in ecstasy, eyes blazing with frenzy. She thrusted herself up at him and he pumped his pelvis eagerly in response. His erection was now flirting with the questionable area between her legs and it nearly drove him mad. He could feel himself getting closer to the edge, almost losing himself in his urge to take her here and now. He growled and hooked a nail beneath both her pants and her underwear, meaning to rip them down in one fell swoop.

And then, something snapped. His eyes cleared out of their haze for a moment and he pushed her away, springing back as if she were a viper instead of a beautiful woman. He was panting heavily, torn. His expression flitted between aggravation and anger. He wanted her, he wanted her _so_ badly. But they couldn't. He paced back and forth, eyes averted from that perfect, tanned skin. She scrambled to right her undergarments and clothes, hugging her legs to her chest. She looked completely dejected.

"Jade. We cannot. Do. Anything," he hissed through clenched teeth.

His raked his eyes over her regretfully, letting them linger for a last swollen second on her panting chest. He gazed at her sad but confused expression. "I'm sorry," he said, voice strained from more than one emotion. Suppressing himself took a supreme amount of will. "I have to get out of here before I do something we both regret." Then he turned and sprinted from the room without a backward glance.

* * *

**A/n: **Dang, quite a harsh ending there. Sorry to those of you who were enjoying it. Anyway, I really hope you guys liked the chapter and I hope the romance wasn't too trashy, LOL! Please give me some feedback with a review if you have time, I'd love you forever!

Until next time, take care everyone

-Lucky


	10. Two Dragos

Back at the Chans' house, the meeting between the Enforcers and the rest of the Chans was finally complete.

They had used one of Uncle's spells to learn the whereabouts of Drago, only to find that the spell insisted on showing them a split screen – two hazy yet distinctly different pictures. The men were perplexed, but Uncle figured it out first. After instructing Tohru to cast another spell simultaneously, and telling him the correct combination of words to say, all of them, even Uncle, were stunned.

In Tohru's sphere, Drago was picking out what looked like instruments of torture. Bamboo shoots to shove up the nails, miniature hammers for breaking fingers, whips, knives, and brands. They watched, entranced and horrified at the same time. The Drago that they knew might be hard, but he would never torture someone. If worst came to worst, he would probably just order someone else to do it.

But Uncle's spell showed them the strangest scene of all. Drago was straddling Jade, playing with her hair and confessing his love! Everyone shifted uncomfortably while they watched their former boss and their former enemy stare at each other. They listened while he explained his past, and the reason soon became clear that they could see two Dragos doing different things at the same time. There were two of them!

Uncle and Tohru looked at each other and started working on a magical strategy, the spell they would use to send Drago back to the future. The rest of the guys looked at each other and shrugged, not really having much input. Until the scene in Uncle's sphere shifted.

Jackie just couldn't believe it. Jade and Drago had started to make out! And Jade had _initiated_ it! For most of Jade's life, the Chans had fought against the demons to keep or restore order to the world. How could she betray her family, her company, her fellow humans like this? The knife of betrayal buried itself in his heart.

But it was Uncle who surprised him. "Jackie," he started. "I am very old, and I have seen a lot of the world. You know that Drago and Jade have spent a lot of time fighting each other, scheming about each other, thinking about each other. Almost to the point of obsession."

A crease appeared between Jackie's eyebrows. He thought about it. Over the years, they certainly did seem to be obsessed with hunting each other. Jade pursued Drago with a manic determination that almost scared him. "Yes, Uncle, but-"

"So," Uncle went on, cutting him off sharply, "Do you see now? See the possibility? Demon boy might actually love Jade."

He was silent for a long moment, and all of the others exchanged glances. While the Enforcers might think the strange pairing was a little uncanny, and Uncle and Tohru had their own love for Jade, Jackie had raised the young woman. He had watched her grow up, had invested part of his own soul into her. Even though he wasn't her real father, he had functioned as one and loved her like his daughter. The bond that they had was unknown to the others. Finally, something in him seemed to snap into place. Jackie released a pent up breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding. "Well, I suppose we aren't sure either way. But that still doesn't explain one thing. Why were there two Dragos in the spheres?"

Drago obviously wasn't off the hook yet. "I have a theory," Uncle stated.

"Well, how do we know if it's right?" One of the Enforcers voiced.

"We go there. We find out."

* * *

Jade was in a state of utter confusion. First the Demon was thrusting himself at her, almost in a state of passionate frenzy. The next, he jumped back as if she had burned her, giving her a cold, mad stare that froze her blood in her veins. What had she done?

She sighed, willing the tears to stay in their ducts. "Please, not now," she whispered. Oh, curse it all! What was the point of having feelings if they were to end this way? She had always kept her intimate feelings under wraps as soon as she became an agent of Section 13. She had been terrified that an enemy of the organization would and could just use her significant other against her, and have a supreme amount of leverage. Jade had too big of a heart, and formed too deep of bonds, to just let someone go like that, especially knowing it was her fault.

And, deep in her core, she had a small selfish streak. She didn't want to know what would happen if she were forced to pick between the safety of her lover and, say, the safety of San Francisco. Therefore, she never let it happen. She dumped her boyfriend immediately after she became an agent, her first young love. It had torn her apart, but, it had been worth it. In the end, at least.

She had been forced to rely on her family and Tohru's help during that time. Tohru had become her trusted adviser and friend for issues she didn't feel comfortable sharing with her Uncle or Great-Uncle. And that transitory stage in her life was when she realized how wise of a choice she had made – to take away all the leverage that could be used against her. Mostly. Having Uncle, Jackie, and Tohru was bad enough, not to mention her other friends outside of Section 13. Luckily, some of them, like Viper, El Toro, and Paco, could take care of themselves, but not all of them.

So that's why she had been so eager when Drago announced his feelings. Of course, she knew that she had feelings as well – it was obvious. So obvious that she couldn't even delude herself that she didn't have an infatuation with him; she just wouldn't think about the cold truth by tucking it away in the back of her mind for years at a time. But when he had told her, that beautiful moment, the truth had come bursting out of its shackles. It had hit her with a force enough to take her breath away.

So why did he have to run away from her, when things were finally working out? She buried her face in her knees and covered her head with her arms, sobbing.

When suddenly, just a few minutes later, she was shocked out of her reviere by Drago himself bursting through the door.

With an armload of... weapons?

Why-

His armload clattered to the ground, and he was upon her, grabbing her wrists with enough strength to bruise, forcing her to stand. She didn't even get a chance to wipe the tears from her eyes before she had a reason to cry new ones.

* * *

**A/n:** I know, I missed last week, and this week is short, and I'm cutting it close, but I still love you guys and hope you can forgive :) You have to admit this is still way better than my usual track record! Hehe! I pretty promise I will try to make next week's longer! ^_^


	11. Temptation

**A/n: **Yeah, Yeah, I know XDD It's been a while. Pleaseee don't kill meee! Enjoy :)

* * *

Jackie held the writhing Drago in an iron grip, his forearms trembling with the exertion. "You are not going back in there."

Uncle had led them all to the house where Jade and Drago had been getting, ah, friendly. The spell had gone a bit haywire when they entered the premises, so they had to go into the house blindly. But it was still a lot better than having no idea where in San Francisco they should look.

Drago twisted furiously, tendons in his arms straining. He hoped that Jackie couldn't feel him quivering. He wasn't exactly sure himself whether it was from exertion or emotion. "You have to believe me! I am the one who loves her." He couldn't believe this was happening. The Drago from the present could arrive at any time. Who knew what he would do to Jade to get the spell to open the gate?

There was only one answer. Drago had to convince Jade's father of his earnestness, his desire to protect the woman. It might only be working together that they could overpower the other Drago without hurting Jade in the process, and then it would be all for naught.

The old martial artist's eyes darkened. Drago's heart sank. "Not when my niece's life-"

An earsplitting, hair-raising, heart-wrenching death scream had come from the bedroom. Drago felt his heart race with the sound and snarled an involuntarily growl. Jackie dropped the dragon demon in a clatter.

It was Jade.

* * *

A demon had burst through the door.

Jade could tell instantly that it wasn't the Drago who had newly confessed his love to her.

No, this was far worse. As she read the much harder emotion on his face, she felt a dark hopelessness settle into her bones.

She couldn't help it, she backed a step up involuntarily before catching herself and frowning grimly.

He raked her eyes over her with an almost physical force. He smiled a carnivorous, triumphant grin that a predator might bestow upon its prey just before snapping it up.

Jade felt her skin crawl and her heart rate skyrocketed. This was probably the most she had ever feared for herself, and her life had been in danger countless times before. She had been kidnapped, held for ransom, been held prisoner, treated inhumanely. Scare and torture tactics had been used on her. The lives and health of her most precious loved ones had been threatened in ways even she would never be able to imagine, a burden that she would have to carry for the rest of her life. She still had nights where she would wake up feeling sick, their disfigured faces haunting her. She had to have a glass of water before she could convince herself that it wasn't actually real.

Even having been through all of that, she had never felt what she did now. Her honor had even been threatened with a pregnancy scare after a near-rape. But none of that felt like being at the mercy of a hormone-crazed demon with a large ego and an even larger imagination. It felt like being at the hands of a serial killer.

Drago was upon her, holding her arms with enough strength to bruise, forcing her to stand. He grinned wickedly at her as he felt the last of the fight melt out of her. It was almost palpable. It was as if the energy surged from her to him, as if he sucked it right out of her. His smile became more vicious. Deep down inside, every man wanted to feel that in-control of a woman.

He spun her around so suddenly that her feet couldn't catch up with her body and she tumbled out of his grip. She was down on her hands and knees, faced away from him. Of course, he could've broken her legs easily in this state, or at the very least messed up the knees in her joints and hips, but he decided to savor every moment. He was going to get the maximum amount of pleasure out of this. Out of breaking her.

A whimper that might have been a poorly disguised sob fled from her lips. Drago bit his bottom lip so hard that the pain could keep him sensible. His canines drew hot, coppery blood from his flesh. He didn't understand why this girl was affecting him so strongly, but he liked it.

He shivered and forced himself to take a breath before closing the distance between them. An inch of her was exposed from the position. His finger wriggled into the crack between her shirt and pants, stroking her skin with his rough scales.

Almost gently, he grasped the fabric between two muscled hands. He ripped her shirt open so that her back was exposed, getting a few chills from such a wide expanse of the girl's silky skin.

Drago fingered the whip, the succulent, smooth leather-bound handle setting his nerve endings shaking. Why did he feel so excited? His manhood seemed to have a mind of its own. _Get it together_, he thought to himself, trying to clear his head. Surely the girl was attractive, but why was the idea of hearing her yell out so appealing?

"Please," she cried, tears gathering in her eyes. "How could you do this to me?"

Drago's jaw was grimly set. He raised the whip...

And hesitated.

Surely he could get even more fun out of the human if he saved the torture for last. Break her spirit and then her mind. He had taken plenty of the worthless race before, so what would make this different? His extremities twitching, he felt a sudden rush of heat to his face as he set down the weapon, almost tenderly.

It was embarrassing, the way he was reacting. Why was this human woman so special? She looked like a weakling. But if he got that much more pleasure out of it, it would be a victory in his book. He could certainly...inspect her physique better if he removed her clothing.

His fingers were vices around her forearm, forcing her to the ground again. Blood and saliva from his mouth mixed in wet streamers down her perfect, silky neck. He bit her softly and her blood mingled with hers, and he lapped up a few drops, jaw snapping shut and stroking her face. She looked up at him, a storm of emotions across her face. Bewilderment, a bit of repulsion, and... a hint of longing? He let his tongue delve lower and lower until he was caressing the valley between her breasts, holding them in place with his claws...

* * *

Jade, quivering under the entire weight of Drago bearing down on her, was trying so very hard not to be aroused by the monster, and failing, miserably. She could feel the fire coursing through her loins, swelling her babymaking equipment to prepare for intimacy. She wanted it...she wanted it so badly. He would, after all, someday turn into the Drago that she loved...

No. She had to talk herself out of it. Surely he was as cruel as the day he met her. Surely he was no less than a maniacal psychopath with daddy issues. Still...

He was also just as chiseled, just as handsome, and just as strong as the day she met him as well. And his bad-boy streak that had drawn her in the first place was on full display.

He was being careful to keep his nether region away from hers, for the moment, but that didn't stop him from fondling her upper half. He tore part of her shirt away and casually ripped the bra aside, taking her nipple within his fingertips, scales drawing pins of fire out and making them swell enormously. Her back arched, and she involuntary spread her legs out further as her lowered his mouth, biting harder than she had ever been bit there before. She writhed, thrusting her pelvis up to meet his with need, giving in to one good thrust but quickly quelling the rest. It was painful, but so... soooo..._mmmm._...

* * *

Drago stiffened. She was enjoying this. That was not part of the plan. Snarling, he decided that maybe he would have her after she was broken, after all. A feisty mating was not the way he liked it. She must be submissive, his servant, give in to his every demand, be liquid to his touch and only do things he want, at the pace he wanted.

And the space of a few terrifying seconds, he had retrieved the whip, maneuvered them both back to the appropriate positions, and lashed the weapon across her back.

Jade screamed an earsplitting, hair-raising, heart-wrenching death scream.

* * *

**A/n:** So YAY! Happy New Year to everyone. Finally, right? Rofl.


	12. Finale

**A/n:** Hey guys! It's been a while but not as long as last time! Hehe. I hope your 2013 is going well, and the first half was great. This project has been a fun ride, and I've made many friends during the course of this story. I love you all. Thank you for supporting me during this very long journey in my life. I hope that next time won't take quite as long, but let's face it, it's only looking up from here :)

* * *

Pain was a frequent visitor in Jade's life – and of course, it was to be expected, ever since she had proven herself to be an ever-constant companion to Uncle Jackie. However, when she finally became a secret agent of her own, pain became more of a permanent houseguest that wouldn't leave instead of just an overly friendly visitor. Nonetheless, she had never experienced quite the pain like the whip was making her feel. It was almost an otherworldly experience has he lashed her back again - number eight. She had fallen on the floor at number two. He deftly maneuvered the weapon, and at least, she noted with a streak of dark humor, he hadn't made any of the welts overlap. So far.

There was a dull ringing in her ears and the world had lost some of its color when the door burst open. Why did doors seem to be bursting open all of the time, lately? She swung her head with a supreme burst of will and dimly saw her friends rushing in the door, minus Jackie. Where on Earth would he be at a time like this? This was definitely his thing, with his niece in trouble. That was about as normal to him as the world being in danger, but it still hadn't numbed him to his need to help.

_So where was he?_ With dark humor, Jade realized that she wasn't that worried about her back being quite literally torn open. Some of the concern, she was reluctant to admit, was for her Drago, who was also missing.

* * *

A few hours earlier, secluded in a corner outside of the house, Tohru and Uncle were frantically adding ingredients together in a vial to get the spell ready. Small notes were scattered everywhere – pieces and tidbits saved from various times, old "recipes" and their results, clips from magazines, books, and other media. Tohru and Uncle had long ago learned to steel themselves to their surroundings to do emergency research. They had developed a system during what Jade liked to call the "glory days" – when she was a young secret agent still in her teens and Jackie was still agile enough to beat her at her own game, most of the time. Tohru, though more than capable of defending himself and others, preferred more and more to help Uncle with the "magic defeating magic" part of their many escapades Uncle was getting on in years and Tohru knew he would still have a few good ones left, but wanted more and more to take over for the aging man. Uncle should retire, Tohru would always say.

It was always Jackie's and Jade's job to protect them while the pieced together what they could and improvise a spell in the field. Dangerous work sometimes, but it had to be done. Uncle in fact had been just about to retire for good, but the old man couldn't resist his beloved Jade (however gruff of a relationship it appeared to be) being in mortal danger, especially from Drago. It seemed like the story of Drago had never quite been solved. He didn't belong in this time, not really. Uncle had a theory that the dragon was living on borrowed time.

It was a theory that he was hoping was right, in order for the quite ingenious spell that Tohru had helped him come up with. Tohru did all the reading of the small print nowadays, and had almost managed to make it all on his own. It only required a bit of fine-tuning: narrowing the time margin to which the demon would be sent back to. Uncle knew that it was just as well that Tohru virtually didn't need him anymore, because the younger man would be acting alone, one way or another, after this escapade.

It was even more of a reason for him to hope it would work.

* * *

Jade's stomach flipped, and not from pain. It was from fear, even more fear that she didn't think she could feel. She looked drowsily at the form of Tohru on the floor. Was he taking a nap? This was an odd time for naps. Uncle was backed into a corner, as the maniacal Drago stood, stock-still aside from the regular twitching of his tail.

It came to Jade in a jolt – she had just seen Drago knock Torhu to the floor, but he had been moving so fast she couldn't follow it. It certainly didn't help that she was delirious with pain.

The door burst open one last time and Jackie and her Drago were through, looking ready to kill. She didn't know how they'd managed to team up, but it was possible that Jackie decided to take things one step at a time. Kill the present Drago for harming Jade, then kill the future Drago for molesting Jade. Sounded about right to her.

Drago took seeing his future self well and hardly missed a beat. Uncle knew the moment was now or never, before the two got entangled. He summoned all his strength and casted the spell.

And nothing happened.

* * *

Drago looked at his future-self with loathing, and wished with every fiber of his being that he'd never become the demon standing in front of him.

"You've gone soft, old man. Falling for a _human_ girl?! I mean, she is attractive, for a human, but that's no excusing her filthy blood-"

"That woman," his self hissed, "is amazing, and more of a hero than you'll ever be." Drago didn't know that he could look so fearsome, and was simultaneously appreciative and annoyed. "And I know," his future self-replied with a chuckle.

The present Drago smiled quite literally in spite of himself. "I suppose you would. But still. Who is to say your future is mine?"

Future Drago frowned. "I don't know."

"Okay, is anyone else confused here?" Jade piped up from the floor, wincing at the pain sucking in a deep breath.

The mood in the room darkened instantly, congealed into something palpably unpleasant. Reminded sharply of his love, future Drago leapt for his old self's throat, murderous rage in his eyes.

For a few moments, it was all the present Drago could do to keep from being choked, but then he had his other self's throat in his iron grip. "Don't pretend like this timeline isn't rejecting you. You and I can both feel it. You're getting weaker. Your time is up, paradox. It's sapping your strength because now is the time I'm _supposed _to be introduced into Jade's life – not when she hasn't even got boobs yet!"

Future Drago writhed. "Don't you look at her boobs!"

His younger self smiled. "I'm you, and I can do what I want. Anyway, you're toast." He sucked in a giant breath, preparing to breathe fire…

_WHAM_

A spell smacked into the future Drago, and within a few moments, he was gone. Tohru had risen to his knees, pointing a smoking blowfish at the space where the other demon had just been, and it dawned on Jade that he hadn't just been watching the bizarre display like the rest of them – he'd actually done it. Now whatever that meant for the Drago now still in the room –

_Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrragh!_

Yup, just like she guessed, not happy. Jade saw that he had kept the fire in, nostrils smoking, looking around confusedly. "Why'd you do that, big guy?" He whined at Tohru. "Just when I was about to have some fun."

He turned to Jade in a haze of anger. "You're the cause of all this," he growled, muscles bunching to pounce. Jackie started to run over towards the pair of them, but she knew he would be too late.

The dragon demon had just launched himself in the air, hurtling towards Jade across the room, when she saw something change in his eyes. A torrent of emotion ensued: Confusion, fear, lust, ..love? Hate, anger, betrayal, shock. All of these flickered behind his glassy orbs in just a few nanoseconds. But Jade knew she had seen it. She also saw a new dawning on his face.

Understanding. Clarity. And, no, she wasn't dreaming anymore: Love.

* * *

**A/n:** So that's it for this epic adventure? But now I hope to continue writing, for this site too, though not JCA anymore. Keep your eye out for some of my new stuff.

I hope you liked it :) It's probable that I'll write an epilogue to follow, especially considering how abrupt the ending was. Please review and tell me what you think! I'm kind of relieved, proud, nostalgic, and sad that this whole thing is over. I love you guys more than you know.


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